LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP SHARP. 389 



was first agitated, there seemed a fairer prospect 

 of making some provision, or at least obtaining 

 some security for the episcopal clergy. And 

 accordingly they themselves vs^ere early in their 

 address to the Queen to desire her Majesty to take 

 them into her royal protectio^i, afid to give liberty to 

 such parishes where all or most of the heretors or 

 inhabitants were of the episcopal communion, to call, 

 place, and give benefices to ministers of their own 

 principles ; which the Presbyterians themselves would 

 have no reason to complain of, for if the plurality 

 they pretended to was true, by this act of grace, 

 neither their churches nor their benefices were i?i 

 hazard. There seemed to be nothing unreason- 

 able in this request, though it was more than 

 they expected would be granted : however, if 

 they could but obtain a toleration at present, as 

 a term of the union of the two kingdoms, it 

 would satisfy them very well, for they had 

 hopes, as the Archbishop learnt from Drs. Scott 

 and Skene, who were employed by them to pre- 

 sent their address, that if they had a toleration 

 then it might not hereafter be difficult to obtain of 

 the parliament of Great Biitain to re-establish epis- 

 copacy. Accordingly, he whose wishes might be 

 as great as theirs, though his expectations less, 

 took an opportunity, when the treaty of union 

 was in some forwardness, to discourse with the 



